The 3.9% ABV cask pale ale perfectly pays testament to the differing Cornish coastline near where the brewery is based while giving beer lovers a citrussy-hoppy beer that delivers on taste.
In 2016, the dedicated small scale (5bbls) pilot plant was built into the brewing facilities in Rock, north Cornwall. Alongside the production capacity of more than 1m pints per week in the main brewhouse, it’s the pilot plant that enables the entire Sharp’s team the opportunity to collectively develop and test new ideas, concepts and flavour combinations.
As a result, Sharp’s regular limited-edition brews are conceived throughout the year, encouraging energy, creativity, personal development and innovation within the team at all levels. In fact, since its inception, the team has produced more than 50 beers in the plant. Last year, saw further investment into the pilot plant, which has increased fermentation and production capacity, enabled an upgrade in equipment and an expansion of the space.
Cask pale ales popular
Twin Coast is the brainchild of technical brewer Jon Wide, who created the recipe after the team decided to develop more in the pale ale category. The popularity of pale ales is almost unparalleled in the cask market with so much flavour and aroma choice. Through multiple small batch trial brews, evaluating lab data, working with malt and hop suppliers and endless sensory sessions sampling the beer, collectively the team finally settled on a unique set of ingredients that perfectly hit the spot.
Twin Coast is now available in venues up and down the country, and has already seen incredible demand from drinkers. Inspired by the Twin Coast peninsula in Cornwall where one can ‘hop’ easily between the two contrasting worlds of the mellower south coast and the rugged north edge, it is a crisp, bright pale-gold ale with a citrus-hop aroma. It boasts a refreshing, juicy taste, perfect for those who want a burst of hop from their pint. Its release follows Solar Wave Hazy IPA, which was born on the pilot plant before being scaled up for national production in 2023.
Sharp’s technical brewer, Jon Wide said, “In creating Twin Coast, we were keen to replicate the incredible energy that came from the release of Solar Wave - which has sold more than 1m pints since March 2023 [2]. Twin Coast currently looks set for equal success but for us, it’s about more than just the beer. This level of innovation really excites all of us at Sharp’s, particularly the brewing team who get to channel their skills and creativity to develop something totally unique. This is why the pilot plant is so important and we were so keen to invest in it. 2024 is our 30th year and there will be plenty more innovation to come.”
Wilde continued: “Before developing Twin Coast, we conducted rigorous market research while also considering what our competitors were doing. The golden and pale segment is the second largest in the cask category, delivering 32% of cask sales [3] so Twin Coast offers a unique option to meet this growing demand. We truly believe Twin Coast is a world class pale ale at the right ABV at the right time.”
In-house competition
Sharp’s is always actively encouraging innovation and creativity, which is evident by the development of projects and innovations such as the limited releases and single batch, pilot plant brews. To mark Cask Ale Week, Sharp’s creates a fun annual in-house competition site-wide, with the winning beer being crowned the annual limited-edition product. Everyone, from brewers to finance get involved and feel empowered as they enjoy implementing their own creativity and ideas.
This year’s internal competition is live with some brilliant entries already made. These will be judged by Jon Wide, on the criteria of beer name, creativity, style, ingredients and accompanying story with the winning product going into development in time for Cask Ale Week 2024.
Sharp’s Brewery will be announcing a range of activities and supporting sponsorships to mark its 30th birthday in the coming months. To find out more about Sharp’s Brewery’s products, visit the website and online shop at: www.sharpsbrewery.co.uk.
Brand overview:
- Twin Coast was initially conceived and developed on the Sharp’s small scale (5bbls) pilot brewery
- Twin Coast session pale ale encapsulates the two contrasting coastlines, with mellow, biscuity notes combining with a vibrant hoppy flavour that customers are sure to enjoy
- Golden and pale is said to be the second largest segment of the cask category, delivering approx. 32% of cask sales. It’s also the only segment of the cask category in growth, with a claimed growth of 11% year on year
One key piece of info bar staff need to know:
What bar staff should know is no different from any of Sharp’s other beers. The team has applied the same conditioning parameters to Twin Coast as its other cask ales. This ensures great development of flavour and once packaged, the beer drops bright quickly to allow easy handling and to maximise the dispense time for the landlord.
3 reasons to stock the beer will be:
- Short cask settling times, only eight hours required
- Session pale ale that is both zesty and quenching
- Twin dry hopped with a burst of U.S new world hops which drives great aroma and a crisp bitterness for a refreshing finish
How to serve:
Twin Coast has been released with its own branded glassware. The design and shape of the glass is perfect for driving those citrus hop flavours from the glass. Serving temperatures are a personal preference but the experience will certainly be enhanced in the 10–12-degree Celsius range allowing those lovely aromas to release.
Sources:
[1] CGA Data P2 2023
[2] MCBC & Sharp’s volume data, 2023-2024
[3] CGA Data Total On-Trade, 52 wks ending 13/08/23
